Mind's Eye Theatre - Vampire The Requiem.pdf - RoseRed

normal skin tones and no fangs. Others go the opposite direction, feeling fangs interfere more than
they help. As a Storyteller, ultimately it’s your call to make. If you decide you don’t want them, it’s
your prerogative to ask players to refrain from using them in your chronicle.
As a side note, the treatment of representing claws is similar to fangs in that they can be
an excellent accessory to costuming if a player is willing to put up with the inconvenience of
wearing them. A Nosferatu character can use gloves with fi nger extensions that seem to give
him have eerily long fi ngers as part of his unsettling appearance, or a savage Gangrel can sport
a set of jagged costume claws. Press-on nails and fake fi ngernails can be carefully whittled to
blunted points with a razor and then applied to the actual fi ngernail with adhesive. With the
addition of some makeup and fi ngernail polish, the new nails will blend in with the rest of
the hand. It should be noted that these nails should never be altered to highly sharp points.
There are simply too many ways that an accident can happen. As with using fangs, use your
discretion before allowing these into your game.
Another slightly safer alternative is to use rubber or plastic “costume hands” available at
many costume shops, and which come in a variety of styles ranging from rotting undead to
feral beast and beyond. The down side of these gloves is that they make fi ne manipulation
almost impossible — which sometimes simulates the diffi culty of using of claws anyway — and
that they can look a bit too cartoonish or over-the-top for some troupes.
Blood
As Vitae is such a crucial part of the Kindred experience, fake prop blood will come up
sooner or later in Requiem games. The science of making the best fake blood is almost like
the art of making the perfect omelet — everyone who does it is convinced they have the
best method. Various websites specialize in this kind of theatrical effect offering different
recipes for realistic blood, including recipes that are used on actual movie sets. Many of
these recipes are quite complicated, but offer a great deal of realism as well. It should be
noted, however, that most of these are not edible. Indeed, it bears repeating that no player
should ever actually consume any kind of prop blood unless they are fully aware of exactly
what ingredients are involved in making it. Even with normally edible recipes, some players
might have allergies to ingredients that others are not aware of, and the safety of players
should always be a major concern.
Also, great care should always be taken when utilizing any kind of fake blood around costuming,
props, furniture or carpeted fl oors. Most formulas for fake blood stain fabrics and
other surfaces, and are very diffi cult (if not outright impossible) to remove. Last but certainly
not least, remember that outsiders might not realize that a game is being played, and overreact
accordingly. Therefore, Storytellers should take care that the use of realistic fake blood
is strongly limited, and only used in private sessions away from the casual view of bystanders.
It should never be used when sessions are held in public locations.
With those cautions and caveats out of the way, here is a simple formula for creating edible,
non-toxic prop blood suitable for most uses: one part dark corn syrup, one part chocolate
syrup, red food dye and a few drops of green food dye. (Never use more than six drops of
green food dye unless you’re making over a gallon.) Since it’s mostly just sugar and chocolate,
players might actually be able to enjoy the taste somewhat, though it’s still not likely to be
a beverage of choice any time soon. Be advised, however, that the blood created with this
formula can stain things that it touches.
Note that at some times, you may wish to increase the subtle horror of an event by having
the Kindred drinking Vitae “refreshments” during the chapter, whether its from wine
glasses offered at an Invictus soiree to a chalice passed around at a Circle of the Crone rite
and beyond. This seldom calls for actual fake blood, but Storytellers may simply offer a few
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mind’s chapter eye four: theatre: storytelling requiem